Stopped in for a snack. Had spritzes and a few small bites. Everything was tasty. Very laid back vibe. Sat inside because it was too hot outside. read more

La Cantina - Wine Bars Near Me - Venezia, VE

Tucked away in the very busy main artery running through Venezia that is full of tourist traps this was a welcomed oasis I knew 2 mins into it I was in for a great time. There were 2 tables next to me were locals came in and were greeted, they didn't have to say anything else and the owner brought them wine and samplings of cicchetti he had for the day. Service was outstanding and intimate. The entire menu and was explained so well and recommendations made. We even had our napkins replaced twice For a quick lunch we started with the local made beer which was excellent. Next came the house salad which was nothing short of amazing. The pic says it all. Perfectly fresh cut veg with balanced flavors, a hint and S&P with vinegar and you are good to go Lastly the raw seafood platter is much try. Truly great restaurants here will have it since you will only have the freshest and best stuff to represent. Heavenly and well put together with so much thought and prep into it. This is as good as it gets ppl read more

See all

Food was delicious, I had gnocchi pomodoro. Service was not so good, waitresses were more interested in socializing than working. Great vantage point for watching the people walking by. read more

One of my favorites in Venice. It's the kind of place that makes you realize how memorable service sets a place apart--especially in Italy. La Cantina sits on a relativly busy stretch of Canareggio. At dusk, tuckered-out tourists make their way back to the albergos, camera memory cards full of snaps. It makes for decent people watching. Though it was busy on Tuesday night, we were able to snag a perfect table outside. The super-friendly server let me make my first mistake by ordering a glass of Lugano all on my own. Thereafter, I let him take the wheel, and he made 2 fantastic recos--a Chardonnay from Alto-Adige and a biodynamically produces Tuscan San Giovese. Both knocked my socks off. We were still digesting out big lunch at suppertime, but I was able to put away a handful of mesmerizingly beautiful and delicious seafood cicchetti (see pics). This included octopus/fish wrapped in wasabi and shredded wheat (I think). Just a phenomenal place. If you're in the area, do stop by. read more

The food was mid. Service was not the best, the waiter that sat us down was very rude. There's a language barrier for sure, but it should be a little understandable since the city is helped out by tourism. Probably better off with the starters than the entrees because they don't like you to waste food (understandable) but when you aren't able to get extra Parmesan for your pasta, it's a little too much. I'd keep walking around to see what other delicious food is available. read more

We decided to swing by after reading up on which bacari to try for their cicchettis. I've heard many good things about La Cantina, especially from locals so I can be sure that this place isn't a tourist trap (cuz there are many in Venice!) We were seated at the back with the other tourists (not sure if they intentionally grouped us all together...) and served a menu in Italian. Luckily, the waiter spoke English and was able to explain the menu to us. La cantina is mostly known for their crostini cicchetti opposed to what others deem as "real cicchetti" but it's still good nonetheless. We also ordered their meat & cheese plate which we recommend served with bread as well. This is not really a dinner place but a great place to go grab something to eat before dinner. We also want to note that the chef does get tired after a while and they stopped serving food because he decided to go chill with his buds instead. Despite saying he'll be back in 10 mins, he didn't resume until an hour later and mostly because the place started getting busy and he was probably forced to get back to work. No big deal, food was still great, just thought that was funny. read more

La Cantina - Beef tongue and anchovies crostini - Wine Bars Near Me - Venezia, VE

See all

So happy I found this place! It's so hard to find a place in Venice that offers just drinks. So many restaurants require that you buy food but this place offers wine by the glass and so many different kinds! This was some of the best wine I had while I was in Italy. It's so teeny inside, probably only like 6 tables total but you can stand at the bar and drink. Their wine is reasonably priced. You better work on your Italian a bit before coming in because the employees are very Italian!! Such a great place to check out plus they are open later than most places. read more

My dad has never liked Venice for all the reasons you can imagine - it's touristy, crowded, expensive, and there never is any good food. After visiting La Cantina, though, he now says Venice is his favorite place in Italy. That's how good La Cantina is. We had a truly fantastic experience in La Cantina with my family. If you do choose to visit, I would definitely recommend going on Tuesday-Saturday because those are the days where the seafood market is open and you get served the best fish. We had - 6 oysters -a mixed seafood platter (MUST HAVE) -2 glasses of prosecco -and the most delicious basket of bread. The mixed seafood platter is a must. A portion will set you back 30 euro, but the portions are generous. We had 2 portions and shared them among 4 and it was very satisfying. We had raw gamberi and scampi both so sweet and delicious, I have never in my life tasted anything like this. It was truly a life changing meal.The scallops were cooked to perfection in the most addictive sauce - my sister hates scallops, and she practically finished half the scallops on her own. We also had a cut of raw fish which was very, very good, some squid and some potatoes. Which were surprisingly also delicious! All in all, I was surprised at how generous the portions were and how amazing everything tasted. We ended the meal with 2 glasses of very excellent prosecco which only served to highlight the sweetness of the seafood further. If I had to make food recommendations for Italy, La Cantina would easily be the top of the list. Some things to note - the mixed platter is definitely the best way to go about sampling the food at La Cantina. On a separate day we came back to try the cooked plate and the raw plate, and although they were good, the mixed plate definitely contains the best and most delicious of both worlds. Also, the chacuterie platter is nothing to write home about and can be missed, same can be said for the oysters. All in all, La Cantina is a homey, friendly restaurant where you experience amazing food at surprisingly affordable prices. It definitely left a deep and lasting impression on me and I have a feeling 20 years from now I will still be dreaming of that platter of scampi and scallops. read more

This is an authentic wine bar that both locals & tourists alike drop in for an apero, cicchetti, or dinner. It's the perfect people watching spot as tourists flow between the Cannaregio and San Marco neighborhoods. Their wine list is extensive and varied and your pour will most likely come from a newly opened bottle brought right to your table for approval. And don't miss their yummy cicchetti (Venice tapas). They're not on display like other places but skillfully assembled when ordered. Organically, this spot became our home base during our 2 week stay. The expert servers got to know us and we certainly got to know them all. Once they noticed we weren't in Venice for the average 2-3 days, we were greeted with smiles, ciaos-ciaos, and were looked after like other their other regulars. Shouting "GRAZIE MILLE A TUTTI" from Washington, DC to our beloved La Cantina family!!! read more

This place is amazing!!! Came as a recommendation from fellow travelers we met in Rome. Couldn't have been happier with meal, wine and service. Phenomenal!!! A small, authentic, cozy jewel. A must to any traveler! Reasonably priced and impeccable in flavor and presentation. read more

See all

La Cantina, was shut until our last day in Venice, and we were very happy to squeeze in a delicious lunch before heading off to the airport. Whilst we ate, a constant stream of Italians came in greeting the staff, obviously pleased that they were open again. We had meaty, delicately flavoured oysters, EUR12 for 6, with prosecco, the best we had the whole holiday. Some freshly sliced mortadella served with warm bread, then some thick, simple lentil soup with a delicious red. Fantastico! We paid a total of EUR53.50, for 12 oysters, mortadella, lentil soup, 4 glasses of wine and 2 proseccos. I do not think that is expensive, but I do come from London read more

Great little restaurant with excellent seafood and pasta selections. The waiters spoke good English and explained the menu throughly. The menu is small but able to be split, especially if getting a seafood spread. The wine is expensive and the pours were extremely small, a bottle ran us about 21euro. The restaurant is small and fills up fast but they try to fit as many people as possible in the outside area. I deducted the one star for the cheap pours of wine, come on this is Italy. read more

La Cantina - Wine Bars Near Me - Venezia, VE

This was the first place we ate when we arrived to Venezia and it was by far our favorite. We were able to sneak an outside table from a few patrons leaving and the bruschetta, people watching, cured meats and cheeses coupled with the wine made the whole stop a great welcome to Italian life. Highly recommend getting what they have on their boards for their specials-- well worth it. read more

This winebar type of bar/restaurant is on de busy Strada Nuova in Cannaregio area and definitely worth a detour. What I really like, besides the great wines, is the atmosphere. Most of the action is outside where a great mix of locals and visitors stand and sit outside, drink their wines and eat delicious snacks. This is one of the better places to try one (or better a few) of the great wines of Italy. Unfortunately they were closed at Sunday when we returned for a last drink to finish our Venice weekend in style. read more

My husband and I tried this amazing local gem during our Venice travels. We had an incredible lunch here which was so perfect, and we ate among locals, not 1000 tourists. Our waitress was incredibly friendly and helpful, offering to help with the Italian-only menu the minute we said "hello". After offering us a beautiful prosciutto and melon special, she noticed my indecisiveness over panini, so she offered to create something for me, which was nice. If that encounter was amazing, I was blown away as I watched the man behind the count actually freshly slicing our meats!! This place is our favorite lunch soot so far and we will return while we are here. Add the freshness and great service with 3.5 euro tastings of wine and I couldn't be more thrilled! read more

Had a lovely lunch at La Cantina. I wanted to try cicchetti, whilst in Venice, and the waiter suggested a selection to share. I am allergic to fish, but the waiter said this wouldn't be a problem: it could be tailored to meats and cheeses. Great presentation, even better taste, reasonable price... also really great tasting coffee. read more

La Cantina - Wine Bars Near Me - Venezia, VE

One of the best meals we had in all of Italy. Simple and delicious! Things that might be good to know: Only had a few options, no menu and all meat or seafood plates. We got the pork and it came with veggies and 3 sauces and each item was delicious. Takes a little while so be patient. Highly highly recommend! read more

Regrettably we didn't get to eat too many cicchettis because we couldnt get a seat at all. You really need to have a lot of patience if you dont have a reservation here and you really should try to make that reservation. Although there are a ton of cheery italians hanging out drinking wine and eating without tables, it's so crowded and a bit hard to breathe. Their wine selection is amazing - even the house, and the food is great. I will definitely try to come back. read more

Excellent. The highlight of our trip to Venice. Helpful and friendly staff. The prepared a mixed seafood platter for two and everything was delicious. Such a relief to get away from the hard sell and tourist traps that you will inevitably get stung with at least once in your time in Venice. Beer drinkers I recommend the Morgana (a large bottle if you can manage it to see how they cool it at the table). Again, highly highly recommended. If we had more time we would definitely eat here again. For the quality and service well worth the price (which was reasonable considering Venice). read more

La Cantina - A bottle of Morgana - Wine Bars Near Me - Venezia, VE

Just stopped in here for a few glasses of wine but they were both really great. The top price for a glass too was five euro which can be handled in most places in Europe. I was sitting in front of a couple which had a huge meal brought to them. The food looked amazing and you could tell the chef really loved his work. A fun thing about this wine bar is the chef was cooking everything up right there in front of you and bringing it out himself. read more

Totally horrible direction! Went around 3 times couldn't find the place . Very disappointed.

servizio lento! This translates to slow service, I know that Americans must adjust their service expectations to the culture they travel in, however this place should not have "local flavor" confused with "under staffed". The server just looked straight through me and I watched others looking hopefully for a possible food order. 30 minutes to be considered for a drink order is too long for any culture. read more

Loved everything about this place. Super fresh fish and shellfish straight from the lagoon. I've been eating sardines all week, and these were, by far, the best and freshest ones I've had. The ham and cheese plate was amazing. The service was exactly what I wanted, curt but not at all rude, helpful, and multilingual. Local wine was a little overpriced compared to other places but it was great. Highly recommended. read more

This place very close to our hotel in Venice and decided to give it a try. Enjoyed the wines and the cheese. As vegetarians, they were able to accommodate us with extra cheeses! They were a little pricey, but worth it. Only down side was sitting next to some smokers who just won't stop... I guess this is how it is in Europe. Overall, nice experience and highly recommend it. read more

After our dinner reservations fell through, my husband and I found ourselves wandering around Venezia in a hungry stupor. The McDonald's on this street almost lured us in. Luckily, we kept walking and decided to try some cicchetti at La Cantina upon seeing the many people outside and the signs outside. The bartender was super friendly, and even allowed me to practice my rusty Italian with him. He also explained their choices, and we let him prepare two types of crostini to accompany our delicious glasses of wine. The raw fish was super fresh - not fishy at all, and went well with the bread. We also enjoyed the baccala, although I preferred the freshness of the raw fish. The staff here is awesome and always have smiles on their faces. Nice place for a snack. read more

Great service! It was cold out and they let us in early! Great wine and great food! Can't recommend it enough to anyone in Venice!

Very nice cicchetti selection. Each one of it is different. Wine was good too! Not your typical Pinot Grigio or Prosecco! A lovely place!

Super slow service, entitled attitude and expensive. The caprese was good, the panini had dry bread. The beers and wines too expensive and it was hot inside. read more